17: Chapter 17 Superweapon Clues

However, no matter how confident Qi Yin was in her hacking skills, after over two hours of searching high and low, she couldn't find a single shred of information regarding Dr. Chen.

Looking at the photo of the white-haired old man on the computer, she slumped against the back of her chair, feeling a bit dead inside.

Suddenly, Qi Yin sprang up from her chair as a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Didn't Xiao Sinian come from the International Computing Union? He must have a way."

He was still collaborating with her, so she wasn't worried about him refusing to help.

With that thought, Qi Yin flashed a grin and vanished from her space; the matter was urgent and could not be delayed.

Grabbing her small laptop, she threw on a white tracksuit, snatched her car keys, and headed for her destination.

Based on the address Xiao Sinian had given her previously, she set the navigation to the villa district halfway up the mountain from her own hilltop villa shelter.

She didn't know what was wrong with Xiao Sinian; although that area was high-end, its security and privacy were far below standard.

It didn't match his net worth at all.

Finally, the navigation prompted Qi Yin that the destination was just ahead.

She stepped on the brakes and found the house number corresponding to the address.

From the outside, this luxury mansion had a strong sense of design—very European and certainly expensive—but, how should she put it, that was about all there was to it.

A thought flashed through her mind, and Qi Yin suddenly realized something.

She whipped her head around to look higher up—toward her hilltop villa. From this vantage point, though the view was obscured by dense mountain forests, she could still see a corner of the eaves.

No way... Xiao Sinian wasn't living here because it was particularly good.

Rather, he wanted to be a 'peeping' rat?

Looking at the villa before her, which was already extremely luxurious in the eyes of ordinary people, and then glancing up at the direction of her own shelter on the summit, Qi Yin suddenly felt a bit of a chill.

Xiao Sinian... couldn't be a stalker, could he!

A moment later, Qi Yin finally remembered the purpose of her trip. She steadied herself and entered the gate code.

At this moment, inside the villa's main hall, Lu Yanxiu was dressed in black workwear, holding a tablet and reporting to Xiao Sinian, who was tapping away at a keyboard on the sofa.

"That's the current progress!" Lu Yanxiu closed the tablet.

Xiao Sinian tapped the final Enter key, crossed his hands over the bridge of his nose, and leaned back slightly against the sofa.

"Send more people. Try to finish within five days."

"Yes!"

Just as their conversation ended, the sound of a code being entered came from the door.

Xiao Sinian's eyes flickered. He quickly grabbed the mask from the coffee table and fastened it over his face.

This was the scene Qi Yin saw when she entered: Xiao Sinian's hair was slightly messy, and Lu Yanxiu was covered in sweat.

"What are you two doing?"

Seeing it was her, Lu Yanxiu's heart, which had leapt into his throat, finally settled back into his chest.

"Yin Yin? Why are you here?"

Looking at the suddenly appearing Qi Yin, and then at his obviously flustered boss, Lu Yanxiu really couldn't figure out when these two had become so close.

Qi Yin, still preoccupied with her business, ignored the exchange of glances between them and hopped over to sit beside Xiao Sinian without ceremony.

She opened her laptop, and the page she hadn't exited appeared before Xiao Sinian's eyes.

Chen Jun?

Xiao Sinian looked at Qi Yin's anxious expression, his eyes turning somewhat unreadable.

"Xiao Sinian, for the sake of our cooperation, help me find this person."

Qi Yin looked up, her eyes full of entreaty. Her brown pupils darted around, carrying a hint of watery mist that made it hard to refuse her.

Xiao Sinian subconsciously swallowed and shifted slightly to the side to create some distance.

Though, it didn't seem to be of much use.

He didn't refuse Qi Yin either. He took her laptop directly, opened it, and his fingers tapped rapidly across the keys.

Under Qi Yin's amazed and increasingly admiring gaze, his speed gradually increased.

In less than ten minutes, Xiao Sinian efficiently found what she wanted.

"Here. The person you're looking for is Chen Jun, the head of Chuangyuan Technology. His research institute is in a corner of the Emerging Industry Park on the outskirts of Kyoto. It's just a single office floor and a small laboratory."

"Currently, this lab is heavily in debt, with fewer than five employees left. It's on the verge of bankruptcy liquidation."

"Chen Jun is a very stubborn person and not good at socializing. If you want to hire him, it won't be easy."

Due to certain reasons, Xiao Sinian had dealt with this person before and didn't have a very good impression.

A light flashed in Qi Yin's eyes. She immediately stood up, grabbed her gear, and rushed toward the door, shouting back at Xiao Sinian.

"Thanks, Xiao Sinian! I've decided to only take a 15% cut from you!"

Xiao Sinian lowered his eyes, looking at the sofa beside him that seemed to still hold her warmth, and chuckled softly.

Lu Yanxiu felt as if something was wrong with his ears. He looked at his boss in disbelief, once again falling into a state of self-doubt.

"But boss, didn't you plan to recruit this Chen Jun? If we let Yin Yin go find him, what about us?"

Xiao Sinian looked up and slowly stood. His slender frame was half a head taller than Lu Yanxiu.

"Yan Xiu, whether in the past or in the coming Apocalypse, there is no superior-subordinate relationship between us; we are partners who can trust each other with our lives."

"In essence, Little Yin is our ally. Whether Chen Jun is in our hands or hers, it's the same."

He thought that for Qi Yin to look for Chen Jun, she must have known some information in advance, likely sharing the same goal as them.

Lu Yanxiu looked up and saw the imperceptible smile at the corner of Xiao Sinian's eyes when he mentioned Qi Yin, and a bold guess formed in his mind.

"Boss, you don't actually like Yin Yin, do you?"

...

This time, Qi Yin didn't drive Chen Quan's battered old Audi. Instead, she switched to her newly purchased, low-profile, bulletproof modified Mercedes-Benz G63.

Two hours later, the domineering off-roader stopped in front of Chuangyuan Technology's dilapidated office building. The stark contrast was striking.

The flowerbeds in front of the building were overgrown with weeds, and the glass doors were covered in a thick layer of white dust.

Stepping inside, the reception desk was empty. Only a white-haired old engineer wearing thick glasses was anxiously making a phone call in the hallway.

His tone was nearly pleading: "President Wang, could you give us two more days for that payment? We'll have new investment very soon... Hello? Hello?"

The other party had clearly hung up. The old engineer powerlessly lowered his phone, his face full of worry.

Qi Yin stepped forward. "Excuse me, are you Dr. Chen Jun?"

The old engineer looked up and saw Qi Yin, dressed simply and without makeup. He froze. "And you are?"

"Qi Yin. I'd like to talk to Dr. Chen about an investment."

"Investment?" The old engineer's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

"He's here, he's here. Dr. Chen is inside. I'll take you to him!"

Following the old engineer's lead, Qi Yin finally saw the research laboratory for 'Stinger'.

Superweapon, I, Qi Yin, have arrived!